Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander has been open and proud of his sexuality ever since the British pop trio first emerged on the scene, but it seems that not everyone was on board with his approach.
The 27-year-old revealed in a speech he was giving at the Stonewall Equality Dinner on Friday night that when Years & Years were first signed to Polydor, their label's media manager suggested that he keep his sexuality private.
He said: "She said, with very good intentions I’m sure: ‘Why does anybody need to know about your sexuality? What business is it who you go to bed with? Do you really want to invite personal questions like that? Maybe it’s better to not say anything about your sexuality at all.’"
He went on to say that he chose not to follow her advice. "I realised I needed to say that for my 15-year-old self. I needed to say to him, ‘Look, we are not hiding anymore,’" he said.
"We don’t get equality until we all have equality. That is why I continue to speak out. We have to listen and learn from each other to lift each other up, so we can all live the life we deserve."
